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The Prisoner (2009 miniseries)
| director = Nick Hurran | producer = Trevor Hopkins | writer = Bill Gallagher | starring = | editing = | music = Rupert Gregson-Williams | budget = | country = United States United Kingdom | language = | network = AMC, ITV, STV, UTV | released = | first_aired = | last_aired = | num_episodes = 6 | list_episodes = #Episodes | preceded_by = | followed_by = | website = http://www.amctv.com/originals/the-prisoner/ }} 'The Prisoner' is a 2009 six-part television miniseries based on the 1960s TV series ''The Prisoner. ''The series concerned a man who awakens in a mysterious, picturesque, but escape-proof village, and stars Jim Caviezel, Ian McKellen, Ruth Wilson, and Hayley Atwell. It was co-produced by American cable network AMC with British channel ITV, which now holds the rights to the original series. It received mixed reviews, with critics feeling that the remake was not as compelling as the original series. Plot The series begins with an unidentified man waking up in a desert and finding himself in the middle of a pursuit as mysterious guards chase an elderly man through a canyon. The old man dies soon after, but not before passing a message on to the younger man: "Tell them I got out." The younger man arrives in an enigmatic community, whose residents inform him that it's called simply "The Village". Everyone he meets is known only by a number—he learns his number is 6—and he discovers that they have no knowledge or memory of the outside world. Number 6 is unable to remember his real name and recalls only snippets of his life in New York City. He had met and seduced a mysterious woman in a diner. He finds himself locked in a battle of wills against Number 2, the Village's leader, who goes to great lengths to make Number 6 assimilate. Number 6, meanwhile, tries to contact "dreamers"—Village residents who, like him, have been experiencing flashes of memory of their lives outside of the Village. Along the way, he befriends Number 147, a Village taxi driver; Number 313, a doctor with whom Number 6 develops a romantic connection, but who has her own secrets; and "11–12", Number 2's son, who begins to question the reality of the Village. Cast Main cast * Ian McKellen as Number 2 / Curtis * Jim Caviezel as Number 6 / Michael * Ruth Wilson as Number 313 / Sarah * Jamie Campbell Bower as 11–12 * Hayley Atwell as 4–15 / Lucy * Rachael Blake as M2 * Lennie James as Number 147 * Renate Stuurman as 21-16 Guest cast * John Whiteley as Number 93 – Episode 1, "Arrival" * Jessica Haines as Number 554 – Episode 1, "Arrival" * David Butler as Number 37927 / The Access Man – Episode 1, "Arrival" and Episode 5, "Schizoid" * Jeffrey R. Smith as Number 16 – Episode 2, "Harmony" * James Cunigham as Number 70 & Shadow Number 70 – Episode 2, "Harmony" * Leila Henriques as The Winking Woman – Episode 2, "Harmony" * Vincent Regan as Number 909 – Episode 3, "Anvil" * Warrick Grier as Number 1955 – Episode 3, "Anvil" * Lauren Dasnev as Number 1100 – Episode 3, "Anvil" * Sara Stewart as Number 1894 – Episode 4, "Darling" Production Background A remake of the 1967 TV series ''The Prisoner had been in the works since 2005.It was announced in late 2005 that Granada would revive the series for Sky1 in 2007. BBC News: Remake for cult show The Prisoner Christopher Eccleston was initially rumoured to be considered for the title role and it was reported that the series would be titled Number Six instead of The Prisoner. Abortive remake plans actually pre-date 2005, with Simon West at one point in the early 2000s (decade) reported as directing a theatrical version. Patrick McGoohan himself had mulled over plans for a remake as early as the 1970s. The miniseries was promoted at 2008 San Diego ComicCon via a skywriter airplane that sketched the phrase "Seek the Six" in the sky over San Diego. Although "Seek the Six" was initially thought to be a catchphrase of some sort, it did not appear in the final cut of the miniseries. A further promotional event for the miniseries was held at the 2009 ComicCon, including a spoiler-heavy, 9-minute trailer and a cast and crew discussion panel."ComicCon Panel" special feature, included on the 2010 DVD release of the series by Warner Home Video. Development The Prisoner went into production in June 2008. Location filming for The Village was in Swakopmund, Namibia. A production diary is available. After 18 weeks of shooting, principal photography wrapped on December 12, 2008. According to Patrick McGoohan's widow, producers of the new series had hoped that McGoohan would play a part in the revival. "They wanted Patrick to have some part in it, but he adamantly didn't want to be involved. He had already done it," she said in an interview shortly after McGoohan's death. This was contradicted by Ian McKellen in an interview featured in the November 2009 edition of SFX Magazine where he was quoted as saying: Producer Trevor Hopkins confirmed in an interview that he had invited McGoohan to play the role of the Number Six-like old man encountered by Caviezel's character early in the first episode. This is suggested by the jacket worn by the old man – the same style jacket as worn by Number 6 in the first series. McGoohan declined, but suggested he could play Number 2 instead. Broadcast The series premiered on November 15, 2009 as a miniseries on North American cable channel AMC in cooperation with British broadcaster ITV.In December 2006, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the American cable TV channel AMC was co-producing The Prisoner with Sky1, and that it would run at least six to eight episodes, beginning in January 2008 (both in the UK and USA).ICv2 News — AMC Remaking 'The Prisoner'In May 2007 it was reported that Sky One had pulled out of the re-make due to a disagreement with AMC. In August 2007, Richard Woolfe, head of Sky One, stated: The Prisoner is not happening. It's a very quintessentially British drama and there were too many creative differences trying to share it with an American partner. I didn't want to be responsible for taking something that is quintessentially British and adapting it in a way that I didn't feel was reflective of the way people would remember it and the way people would want it to be. So we called time on that.Digital Spy: Q & A with Sky One head Richard Woolfe The six-part series premiered in the UK on April 17, 2010. AMC streamed all 17 episodes of the original Prisoner series in advance of showing the remake.Revisit The Prisoner Online AMC's original airing of the series combined the episodes, with episodes 1 and 2 airing on day 1, etc., with only one set of opening and closing credits for both. ITV broadcast the episodes individually, over six consecutive Saturday nights in the spring of 2010. The DVD release restores the 6-episode format. Episodes Each episode title in the series is one word taken from an episode title from the original programme. Reception Critical response The miniseries met with mixed reviews, scoring 46 out of 100 on Metacritic. Los Angeles Times television critic Robert Lloyd wrote "why anyone, on either side of the screen, should be particularly interested in his fate, is never made clear nor compelling," and further states "the payoff is weak, and more than a bit daffy." In a comparison with the miniseries to AMC's hit series Mad Men, he writes "the difference is that 'Mad Men' is never boring."The Los Angeles Times, "The Prisoner: The AMC remake of the cult classic '60s British spy-fi series won't hold viewers captive," by Robert Lloyd (November 14, 2009—retrieved on November 18, 2009). In Entertainment Weekly, TV critic Ken Tucker writes "it lacks the wit and zip of the original Prisoner," and concludes "It's self-absorbed to the point of incoherence."Entertainment Weekly, "The Prisoner (2009–2009)," by Ken Tucker (November 11, 2009—retrieved on November 18, 2009). Chicago Sun-Times reviewer Paige Wiser declares "There's also a reason why I am not conking myself on the head with a croquet mallet, but The Prisoner somehow has the same effect," and with reference to viewing all six hours of the miniseries, concludes "I urge you to heed my advice: Opt out while you can."The Chicago Sun-Times, "The TV Paige: AMC's 'The Prisoner' remake," by Paige Wiser (November 14, 2009—retrieved on November 18, 2009). San Francisco Chronicle critic Tim Goodman writes "The Prisoner is not compelling. It rambles too much. Its vagaries are not interesting, its unorthodox storytelling not special enough."The San Francisco Chronicle, "TV review: Prisoner remake captive of past," by Tim Goodman (November 13, 2009—retrieved on November 18, 2009). New York Times reviewer Alessandra Stanley struck a contrary note: "This version of The Prisoner is not a remake, it's a clever and engaging reinterpretation by Bill Gallagher, who shaped the script to contemporary tastes and sensibilities — notably, a postmodern fatigue with ideology and big thoughts." She concludes "The 21st century adaptation pays only lip service to the human condition, and instead explores a power struggle between two human beings. It's unlikely to prove as lasting, but the new series still manages to be thrilling."Alessandra Stanley (November 12, 2009) "Rethinking of a Number Between 1 and 10", The New York Times. Retrieved on November 12, 2009. Furthermore, it was positively reviewed in the Radio Times and also by Sam Wallaston who writing for The Guardian, described it as "a triumph with something of The Truman Show about it" with "a tension and a claustrophobia that gnaw away at you, making you look at your own psyche."https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/apr/25/tv-review-the-prisoner-wollaston (April 25, 2010-retrieved on November 12, 2010). Awards and nominations Home release DVD In early 2010, Warner Home Video released The Prisoner in DVD format in Region 1/North America in a 3-disc collection. Special features included deleted scenes for all episodes (including scenes from "Arrival" that explicitly indicate that 2 orders the bombing of the diner), and commentaries on "Arrival" and "Checkmate". Featurettes in the set include: * "A 6 Hour Film Shot in 92 Days: The Diary of the Prisoner" – behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the series, featuring footage previously available online. * "Beautiful Prison: The World of the Prisoner" – a second behind-the-scenes documentary. * "The Prisoner ComicCon Panel" – Jim Caviezel, Lennie James, Bill Gallagher, and others discuss the then-upcoming series at the 2009 San Diego ComiCon. * "The Man Behind 2" – Jamie Campbell Bower conducts a tongue-in-cheek interview with his TV father, Ian McKellen. ITV Studios Home Entertainment released a UK DVD and Blu-ray Disc on 3 May 2010. The listed extras include the deleted scenes, ComicCon panel and McKellen interview, but differ otherwise. They include: * "The Making of" for all six episodes * "Inside The Prisoner" for all six episodes * The Prisoner Read Through * Character Profiles References External links * [http://www.amctv.com/originals/the-prisoner/ The Prisoner] at AMCTV.com * Category:2009 American television series debuts Category:2000s American television series Category:2009 American television series endings Category:2009 British television programme debuts Category:2000s British television series Category:2009 British television programme endings Category:AMC (TV channel) network shows Category:2000s American television miniseries Category:British films Category:ITV television programmes Category:Films shot in Namibia Category:British television miniseries Category:The Prisoner Category:English-language television programs Category:Television series scored by Rupert Gregson-Williams Category:Television series scored by Christopher Willis